Guide:Brain of Cthulhu strategies
| This is a Guide page. This means the page will walk you through a specific task, strategy, or enemy/boss fight. This guide was last updated for version 2.0.2.003. |
Map icon
| Type | Boss |
|---|---|
| Environment | The Crimson |
| Damage |  30 / 54  / 81  / 99  / 135  |
| Max Life | 1500 / 2550 / 3060 / 3251 / 3901 |
| Defense | 14 |
| KB Resist | 50% / 55% / 60% |
| Immune to |      |
| Cold | Vulnerable |
|---|---|
| Water | - |
| Sickness | Vulnerable |
| Electricity | - |
| Heat | Vulnerable |
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Map icon
| Type | Boss |
|---|---|
| Environment | The Crimson |
| Damage | 30 / 54 / 81 / 99 / 135 |
| Max Life | 1500 / 2550 / 3060 / 3251 / 3901 |
| Defense | 14 (21 while spinning) |
| KB Resist | 50% / 55% / 60% |
| Immune to | |
| Cold | Vulnerable |
|---|---|
| Water | - |
| Sickness | Vulnerable |
| Electricity | - |
| Heat | Vulnerable |
| Coins | 5  |
|---|
- Item (Quantity)Rate
Tissue Sample (30-50)100%
Crimtane Ore (40-90)100%- 100%
Lesser Healing Potion (5-15)100%- 14.29%
- 10%
- 1%
The Brain of Cthulhu (Lore)(Always on first kill)100%
Treasure Bag(Brain of Cthulhu)100%
Brain in a Jar(In Master or Revengeance Mode only)25% / 25% 
Brain of Cthulhu Relic(In Master or Revengeance Mode only)100% / 100%
The Brain of Cthulhu is a Pre-Hardmode boss typically fought after the Eye of Cthulhu and Crabulon are defeated. It can be spawned by breaking 3 Crimson Hearts or by using the Bloody Spine in the Crimson.
Terrain Preparation
The Brain of Cthulhu can be fought in either the Surface or Underground Crimson, as either one provides plenty of room to dodge the Brain's incoming attacks. However, due note that it will be less aggressive when fought in the underground chasm that is formed upon world generation.
When on the surface, it is recommended to have a wide, flat area, above which are 2-3 layers of long platforms. Make sure that you do not leave the Crimson (which is easy to do by going too high), or the boss will enrage. If you can, flatten the ground and build platforms over the crimson caverns.
When underground, it is wise to place platforms in the center of a chasm as they are usually the largest area there and will allow for more movement.
Gearing Up
Armor
- Victide armor is a good option for every class.
- Platinum armor and Gold armor provide high survivability with above average defense. Platinum armor also has boosts to life regen.
- Tin armor can be useful for weapons with low base damage due to providing additional armor penetration.
- Fossil armor is a viable option for Rangers still due to its higher-than-average stats for when it can be obtained, similarly to Jungle armor.
- A Wizard Hat, combined with the Diamond Robe and Jungle Pants is the best combo for Mages at this point due to its massive mana pool and damage potential.
- However, full Jungle armor can be used if the player prefers higher defense.
- Using a Mystic Robe instead of the Diamond Robe trades mana usage reduction for damage and critical strike chance.
- Sulphurous armor is by far the best option for Rogues at this point.
- Ancient Shadow armor, while hard to get, can be a strong option for most classes.
Accessories
Movement
- It is heavily recommended to have Spectre Boots or any of their upgrades due to their boosts to mobility and allowing the user to fly.
- Amphibian Boots are a decent alternative, though the jump speed boost is not too strong, and the player loses out on Rocket Boots flight.
- The Shield of Cthulhu is a must for the fight, as its dash can help evade the Brain and reach top speed quicker.
- Any high tier double jump (at least Blizzard in a Bottle or stronger) helps immensely. The Sandstorm in a Bottle provides the longest and highest double jump, while the Fart in a Jar is much faster. Crafting these into their balloon or horseshoe balloon upgrades is recommended.
- Fledgling Wings can be a decent alternative if the player builds around them, as the flight time can help with evading dashes.
- The Magiluminescence, Aero Stone, and Frog Leg are all powerful movement accessories that can help with both vertical and horizontal positioning and can be mixed and matched to the player's preference.
Offensive
- Luxor's Gift is a great all-class accessory which increases DPS.
- The Unstable Granite Core is a powerful accessory for all classes when close to the boss.
- The Abyssal Amulet is an extremely strong accessory that can apply its debuff to every Creeper at once.
- The Shark Tooth Necklace is great when paired with weapons with low base damage, such as the Minishark.
- Melee and Summoner players can use the Feral Claws to increase their melee speed.
- Mages can use the Mana Flower to keep their mana in check.
- Note that using Mana Regeneration Potions or the Quick Mana Potion button can remove the need for a Mana Flower, saving an accessory slot.
- The Celestial Cuffs are a strong consideration due to the boss dropping plenty of Stars and, if the player is fighting the boss underground, the high likelihood that the player will get hit.
- Summoners can boost their minion damage with the Spirit Glyph and minion count with the Voltaic Jelly.
- Rogue users will find the Raider's Talisman useful to boost their damage output, while the Coin of Deceit and Rotten Dogtooth are invaluable for stealth users.
Weapons
Melee
- The Urchin Mace is a good choice due to its short but piercing whirlpools.
- The Platinum Broadsword or the Blade of Grass are the best true melee options.
- The Mycelial Claws paired with the Fungal Symbiote are also incredibly effective but have a very small range.
- The Old Lord Claymore is a powerful movement option that also deals a lot of DPS, but can be harder to obtain.
- The Bladecrest Oathsword is another very powerful weapon that can be slightly harder to obtain.
Ranged
- The Fungicide is a very powerful option for the boss, particularly the second phase.
- The Minishark paired with Flash Rounds is a great choice for rangers, especially for clearing the Creepers.
- The Storm Surge is also a good option due to its piercing capabilities.
- The Blood Rain Bow is still a powerful option for this boss combined with high base damage arrows.
Mage
- The Waywasher is good option due to its consistent damage output.
- The Sky Glaze is a decent pick for mages due to its explosive damage.
- The Acid Gun is an effective choice to deal with the Creepers.
- The Frost Bolt is a pretty good option for both the Creepers and the brain.
Summoner
- The Brittle Star Staff is a strong summon with enough mobility to keep up with the Brain.
- The Deathstare Rod is an extremely strong supporting summon that is worth combining with any other summon at this stage.
- The Frost Blossom is another useful supporting summon that can be used as well.
- The Snapthorn is the best possible whip at this stage to support your summons with.
- The Rusty Beacon Prototype is a powerful sentry for supporting summons with.
Rogue
- The Sand Dollar is an excellent option for the brain, and with its infinite pierce when returning it can also be highly effective on the Creepers.
- The Seafoam Bomb can be effective for the Creepers due to its explosive effect.
- The Mycoroot is also a great pick for the brain itself.
Miscellaneous
- Any Hook gives you increased mobility, especially if they have an arena with multiple layers. The best hooks at this stage are the Diamond Hook and Ivy Whip.
- The Slimy Saddle can help if you get caught in a tight spot above the brain with nowhere to land or hook to and can easily save you.
Notable Buffs
- Inferno Potions are extremely useful for easily dealing damage to all the Creepers that touch the fire ring they summon around you. This is especially great when fighting the boss on the surface Corruption.
- At this stage, basic potions will have a large effect on the fight.
- The Well Fed buff and its upgrades are easy to acquire and provides a number of useful effects, including increasing health regeneration.
- Swiftness Potions provide a good boost to movement speed, which affects both your max running speed and your air speed.
- Regeneration Potions provide a small boost to health regeneration, which is a valuable thing at this stage in the game.
- Wrath or Rage Potions can provide a significant increase to DPS for early game weapons.
- Ironskin Potions can help with tanking hits by providing a defense buff.
- Endurance Potions are even more helpful by increasing your DR but may be slightly more annoying to obtain.
- Night Owl Potions can be used to increase visibility overall, with an even greater effect when combined with Shine Potions.
- A Sharpening Station can give increased armor piercing for melee users.
- An Ammo Box can reduce ammo usage for ranged users.
The Fight
When the fight begins, make sure to kill all the Creepers surrounding the Brain of Cthulhu when they fly towards you, as the Brain is invulnerable while all of them are alive. However, be wary of getting hit by them, as they, alongside the Brain itself, have a low chance of inflicting a multitude of debuffs. These include Cursed, where you are unable to use any weapon, hook, or potion for a certain amount of time, and Silenced, which can be especially troublesome for Mages.
Once all the Creepers are defeated, the Brain will enter its second phase and become vulnerable to damage. During this phase, it will teleport around you at an increased rate, becoming faster and more dangerous to contend with. Note the three mirror images it creates as the fight progresses, as they can easily fake you out if you're not paying attention.
When the Brain reaches 30% health, it will fly around you in a quick loop before dashing towards you and teleporting soon after. Be sure to dodge this by dashing or jumping in the opposing direction.
